Volvo 850 with "mayo" on the dipstick

[snuffy300]

Hi guys,

First post. The dipstick of my Volvo 850 shows the oil as thick/whitish. Peered inside the oil filler cap and all seems well. Oil was changed one month ago (about 1k miles) with Castrol GTX 5W30. There seems to be no coolant loss.

From what I've read, it seems like a condensation problem. Any suggestions? Would a better filter help? Or switch to synthetic?

Thanks

 

[sicko]

What's your driving style and how is the vehicle used? Generally, by periodically taking a car out on the highway the oil gets hot enough for excess moisture to evaporate out. Do you mostly do short trip driving that doesn't let the oil reach full operating temperatures?

 

[Bill in Utah]

First of all

Check the PCV system.

If you were running syn you'd still have issues.

Tell us the use of the vehicle. Trips, how long, how many miles on the unit, etc.

A UOA may help here also. A *little* bit of coolant goes a LONG way.

Bill

 

[JHZR2]

Does the car ever get out on a nice, long drive (preferably 30+ miles)?

 

[mechtech2]

The dipstick is unreliable for a water test.
That is because it does not have any flow around it.
That moisture may be from a while back, or from a few cold short starts. It is tough to go away by itself - this varies with each car.

Clean the tube and dipstick , and see if she is OK after that.

 

[Gary Allan]

Sometimes you can't avoid it snd there may be no practical solution. My son had this on his 80's something Bronco. He drove back and forth to high school ..just a few miles. His alternative was to needlessly drive the thing more to burn enough fuel to fully warm the engine up.

A block heater would be an alternative ..and might be a good thing for a Canadian depending on location.

 

[snuffy300]

Great ideas. Thanks for the responses.

Car is used for short distances (15 minutes/10 miles)to work. The car has about 120k miles. Its not a turbo. The oil pan holds 6 litres. Oil and filter changes are usually done every 4-5 months.

I'm a bit reluctant on the UOA. The "mayo" doesnt even look like oil! Will it be accepted??